to learn anything of this by means of even ascetic meditation.
Endued with the lustre of the _Atasi_ flower, and decked with the mark
of _Sreevatsa_, he seemed to me to be like the abode of _Lakshmi_,
herself. And that boy, of eyes like the petals of the lotus, having the
mark of _Sreevatsa_, and possessed of blazing effulgence, then addressed
me in words highly pleasant to the ear, saying, "O sire, I know thee to
be fatigued and desirous of rest. O Markandeya of Bhrigu's race, rest
thou here as long as thou wishest. O best of _Munis_, entering within my
body, rest thou there. That hath been the abode assigned to thee by me.
I have been pleased with thee." Thus addressed by that boy, a sense of
total disregard possessed me in respect both of my long life and state
of manhood. Then that boy suddenly opened his mouth, and as fate would
have it, I entered his mouth deprived of the power of motion. But O
king, having suddenly entered into the stomach of that boy, I behold
there the whole earth teeming with cities and kingdoms. And, O best of
men, while wandering through the stomach of that illustrious one, I
behold the Ganga, the Satudru, the Sita, the Yamuna, and the Kausiki;
the Charmanwati, the Vetravati; the Chandrabhaga, the Saraswati, the
Sindhu, the Vipasa, and the Godavari; the Vaswokasara, the Nalini and
the Narmada; the Tamra, and the Venna also of delightful current and
sacred waters; the Suvenna, the Krishna-venna, the Irama, and the
Mahanadi; the Vitasti, O great king, and that large river, the Cavery;
the one also, O tiger among men, the Visalya, and the Kimpuna also. I
beheld all these and many other rivers that are on the earth! And, O
slayer of foes, I also beheld there the ocean inhabited by alligators
and sharks, that mine of gems, that excellent abode of waters. And I
beheld there the firmament also, decked with the Sun and the Moon,
blazing with effulgence, and possessed of lustre of fire of the Sun. And
I beheld there, O king, the earth also, graced with woods and forests.
And, O monarch, I beheld there many Brahmanas also, engaged in various
sacrifices; and the Kshatriyas engaged in doing good to all the orders;
and the Vaisyas employed in pursuits in agriculture; and the Sudras
devoted to the service of the regenerate classes. And, O king, while
wandering through the stomach of that high-souled one, I also beheld the
Himavat and the mountains of Hemakuta. And I also saw Nishada, and the
mountains of S